St Peter's Church, Leicester, is a

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in the Highfields area of

Leicester, Leicestershire Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...

History

The foundation stone was laid on 14 November 1872 by the Bishop of Peterborough. The church was built as a memorial to

Richard Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe (11 December 1796 – 12 May 1870), was a British peer and courtier. Background He was the third but eldest surviving son of The Hon. Penn Assheton Curzon (the eldest son of Assheton Curzon, 1s ...

, and was originally known as the Howe Memorial Church. It was built to the designs of the architect

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

. The church was consecrated on 18 April 1874 by the Bishop of Peterborough. The spire was dismantled in 1968 and the building continued to deteriorate such that by 2014 the tower masonry and roof coverings were in very poor condition, and the building was on the National Buildings at risk register. Between 2018 and 2021, repairs funded by Heritage Lottery, the Leicester City Council, the Diocese of Leicester and the church's own funds, led to the tower, tower roof, stonework and the main roof being repaired.

Parish status

The church is in a benefice with St Philip's on Evington Road, Leicester.

Organ

The pipe organ was built by Joshua Porritt in 1875. It was extensively modified by Stephen Taylor and Son in 1910. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*William Henry Wale 1874 - 1882 *Philip Angrave 1882 - 1891 *Cardinal Taylor 1891 - 1894 (afterwards organist of St Mary's Church, Humberston) *Walter Joseph Bunney FRCO 1905 - 1936 (formerly organist of Holy Trinity Church, Leicester) *Harold Barnes 1937 - 1946 (afterwards organist of St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leicester Leicester, St Peter Grade II listed churches in Leicestershire Churches completed in 1874 19th-century Church of England church buildings